


His Tender Heart

by rthecynic



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M, and the regent slaps laurent once, but that's about as bad as it gets, dumb princes in love, it diverges from canon a bit, there's a bit of emotional abuse in this, this happens during laurent's trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 18:16:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7117168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rthecynic/pseuds/rthecynic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a short drabble based on a tumblr post.<br/>Imagine person A being told that nobody loves them and person B interrupting with "I love you"</p><p>Prince Laurent of Vere is on trial, faced with his uncle and the council of Vere who have been trying to ruin him and his reputation for years. When the council takes a break and Laurent is left with only his uncle for company, can the Regent finally break his nephew?</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Tender Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work for this fandom and I'm super nervous ^_^"
> 
> Based on a tumblr prompt:  
> Imagine person A being told that nobody loves them and person B interrupting with "I love you"

The courtroom was empty now. The trial had been dragging on for hours and Laurent was definitely feeling the strain. Chains weighed him down, though just the standing in one place for so long would have been exhausting by itself. His back ached and his hope was starting to fail him, but he would not let the council see his weakness.

He would certainly not let the Regent see his weakness.

His uncle had caused him too much pain. He refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing it. Let everyone keep calling him the "ice prince". Let them believe that he was unaffected by everything and everyone around him. It had protected him for this long. Only one person knew differently.

The person he had sacrificed himself to protect.

He was counting on Damen coming back for him; it was the only way he could survive this. He had a plan, meticulously crafted in his mind. It would work, but only if everything went exactly as he'd assumed. He was relying on a lot of human nature, and that could be a very difficult thing to judge.

A part of him hoped that Damen would stay away and keep himself safe. If something went wrong, they'd both die, and that was the last thing that Laurent wanted. He wanted Damen to live, to reclaim Akielos as the rightful king, Damianos. Yet, a larger part of him, a selfish part of him, desperately wanted to see him again, even under these dangerous circumstances. Their time together had been too short, and, if either of them were destined to die, Laurent needed to see him again before the end.

Footsteps echoed throughout the empty room, approaching him slowly. He didn't even need to turn to see who'd returned.  
"Uncle."

He practically spat the word. A low chuckle resounded around him, almost mocking him, as the Regent came into view.

"Give up this childish behaviour Laurent," the Regent sighed, stopping in front of him, just out of reach, "It's useless. Nobody believes you. For once in your life, face up to what's coming and at least die with a bit of dignity. Stop these lies."

"You know as well as I that I speak the truth!"

"Then why does no-one listen? Nobody cares about you Laurent! You're weak, pathetic. Nobody wants somebody like you running the kingdom. You don't instill loyalty, or trust, or even fear. Why would anyone have any reason to submit to you as their king?"

Laurent finally let his head drop a little. The words got to him. They always got to him. Cold and cutting and calculated, his uncle always knew what to say to make his own mind rebel against him.

And still the Regent continued.  
"You have no-one Laurent. Nobody will miss you. You'll be marked down as a traitor. You'll be forgotten, and I will be remembered as the king who saved Vere from the machinations of a spoiled brat who was willing to betray his country because he got into bed with the Prince of Akielos."

"I am no traitor-!"

A resounding slap echoed throughout the room. Laurent maintained eye contact with his uncle. If that was the worst he could do, then maybe Laurent could actually make it through this.

The Regent leaned close, a twisted smile on his lips.  
"Nobody loves you Laurent. I'm not sure anyone ever did. Even Auguste must have found you unbearable, trailing around after him like you always did. No, I think you may even be impossible to love."

Laurent's head did drop now. The mention of his older brother was too much to bear. Could it possibly be true? Did Auguste not even love him? He found it so difficult to love himself, and almost impossible to imagine anybody else loving him, that it didn't seem like too much of an impossibility. But Auguste was the one person he'd always believed to actually care about him. And now he'd found a new fragile trust in Damen, was that all a lie too?

"I love him!"

Laurent's head shot up and turned to the source of the voice. The declaration had come from Damen, who was bound and being escorted towards the front of the room by two of Kastor's guards.  
"Damianos..."

The word passed his lips in a whisper, almost reverent. Damen had come for him.

Damen shrugged his two captors off and squared up to the Regent, still an intimidating figure even with his arms securely bound behind his back.  
"You snake! Feeding him these lies! I won't let you break his spirit!"

He moved to stand beside Laurent, who looked up at him with searching eyes. Damen could clearly see how fragile Laurent was, and he had to say the right thing here if they had any chance of surviving this trial. His voice dropped to a low whisper, sweet and calming, eyes open and honest as he made eye contact with his lover.  
"He's a liar Laurent. You know he is. You were dear to Auguste, I know you were. That day when I... Well, he noticed you on the battlefield. He lost concentration, and he didn't regain it until he saw a soldier escort you to a place of safety. He begged me to spare you."

His eyes closed, pain flooding through him at the memory.  
"I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to cause you more pain. But he loved you Laurent, more than anything in the world."

He took a deep breath.  
"And so do I."

Laurent listened, hardly able to breathe. He knew Damen well enough now to recognise honesty in the other man, and this was the most brutal honesty he had ever heard from the Prince of Akielos.

It was difficult, hearing this new story of that day at Marlas. Yet, it was also his salvation. Auguste's final thoughts had been of his safety. His brother had loved him until the bitter end.

And Damen.

Damen was here now. 

Damen was risking his freedom, his kingdom and his very life for him. He'd made his thoughts clear on an occasion before.

"A kingdom or this"

It almost sounded as though Damen believed that a life without Laurent wasn't worth living; that he'd give up everything if they could stay together.

How could he deny that that was love?

Laurent straightened and looked his uncle in the eye, calm facade returned, eyes as cold as ice.  
"You are wrong uncle. You've always been wrong. This has dragged on for long enough. Bring the council back in."

He looked to Damen and managed a small smile. This man was a strength that he'd never had before. And suddenly he knew without a doubt that together, they could do anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm http://princesdamianosandlaurent.tumblr.com/  
> Come say hi :)


End file.
